|
|
|
|
|
|
 Pablo FranciscoComedy Palace Andover, Ma March 26 & 27 In 1983, a seed was planted. That's when comedian Pablo Francisco's father bought a VCR, and young Pablito found the world he would eventually call home -- stand-up comedy. He began taping every comedian he could on Carson and Letterman, and even had a competition with a friend to see who could tape the most shows. Comedy proved an irresistible inspiration, and it wasn't long before Pablo found himself at an open mic with a friend. From there, he began gigging around Arizona at night, and delivering pizza during the day, using both experiences to hone his skills. "I made up half my act making pizzas, doing my comedy skits to the people I delivered to," he says, speaking on the phone from his home in Redondo Beach. "Just making pizzas for eight hours - you've got to come up with something." Francisco remembers when he turned the corner and decided he could be a professional comedian. "When my dad kicked me out of the house. When he said, ‘Hey, man, Dominos Pizza isn't paying the bills.' So the Improv picked me up - they saw me at a club and they took me under their wing. That helped me out tremendously." Since then, Francisco has made a lot of appearances of his own, bringing his offbeat impressions of Telemundo soap operas and movie voiceovers to "Mad TV," and Comedy Central's "Make Me Laugh." He tours clubs and festivals across the country in support of his CD, "Knee to the Groin." Recently, he even appeared with Richard Jeni in "Concession Stand-up Comedy," a Coke commercial that aired in movie theaters. The hard work has paid off. This year, the American Comedy Awards nominated Francisco Best Male Stand-up for 1998, and he has a deal with Fox to develop a sit-com, in which he would feature. Despite his own success, he is humble when speaking his competitors. "Robert Schimmel, John Pinette were guys that I used to watch on HBO years ago, laughing at them, not even thinking I would be at that caliber. To be nominated for that is really flattering. It just makes me feel better." Francisco, a native of Tucson, even admits to rooting for Schimmel, who is from Phoenix. He laughs as he tells the story. "I was like, ‘It doesn't matter if I didn't win, as long as he's from Arizona.'" Schimmel and Pinette wound up tied for the Stand-up award. His easy-going laugh as he tells the story speaks volume about Pablo Francisco. Both in conversation and on stage, he'll burst into one of his many characters or impersonations, and then slip back into a casual demeanor that makes you think you're just hanging out with a friend. When asked to compare himself with the typical "attack comedian," someone who might single out an audience member as a target, Francisco hesitates. "It's hard to describe myself. People ask, ‘Well, are you like Tim Allen, the tool guy, or are you like Roseanne Barr, the pissed-off housewife.' I'm basically a universal comic. I try to be for everybody." "I'm not out to grill the people in the front row - that's not part of my act," he says. "I'm the same off stage as I am on stage." And then the tough-guy character comes out. "Basically I'm just introducing myself to you, and if you don't like it, I'm real sorry, but I still got your money." But it doesn't last. He laughs and the easy-going goof is back. "Do I sound selfish?" There has been some downside to his success. He has had to turn down several roles because they were too stereotypical, either racially or comically. And he's off into sleazy producer mode. "Check this out. You're a wacky guy, right? You're on the border, right? Now check this out - you don't speak Spanish, but you're on the Spanish border, but you speak French. Isn't that fantastic?" Right now, he's looking for the perfect vehicle for a show on Fox. "We're roaming around, looking for some ideas, checking the right time to come in. I don't want to be the horny brother on UPN." But no matter what else Francisco does, stand-up is still his first love. "Everybody goes back to stand-up. It's a vehicle, and it's also a way of life. It's just fun. It's addicting. It's not crack, but it's like, crack a joke, you know what I'm saying?" Francisco's audiences would agree. -Nick visit's Pablo's website at www.pablofrancisco.com |
||
|
|
|||
